The 16 books I read in January, ranked

In January, I read 16 books. I grouped the books in series together for expedience. Here are those books, ranked from worst to best:

January 2019's books, organized by color and not quality.

13.) Kingdom on Fire trilogy: “A Shadow Bright and Burning,” “A Poison Dark and Drowning,” “A Sorrow Fierce and Falling” by Jessica Cluess: A mediocre trilogy that leaned much too hard on older, better stories, which I thought about and wished I could have been reading while I was reading these books. The story didn’t take risks with characters, and there were too many secrets tied to too many flat characters early on for me to really care when things were eventually revealed.

12.) “Tower of Dawn” by Sarah J. Maas: I’ve been on the struggle bus with this series ever since the 4^th book (“Queen of Shadows.”) It should have been a trilogy, but on it slogs. I’ll get to the last book eventually, but the relationship dynamics of the series at large are super unappetizing. Like, “Twilight”-level gross.

11.) “Snow White Learns Witchcraft: Stories and Poems” by Theodora Goss: This was a funny little disjointed collection of poems and short stories. I’m absolutely a sucker for fairy tale retellings, but this one was a little out there for me.

10.) “Hidden Sun: Shadowlands Book 1” by Jaine Fenn: I’ve been on a sci-fi/fantasy kick for a couple months now. This one wasn’t what I was looking for. Ultimately forgettable.

9.) “The Fever King” by Victoria Lee: This was fine. It was about a virus that either kills the people it infects or gives them magic powers. LGBTQIAP+ themes made it unique.

8.) “Put Your Best Face Forward: The Ultimate Guide to Skincare from Acne to Anti-aging” by Sandra Lee: This was a really interesting medical text that was watered down enough for the regular person to understand. Only Sandra Lee with her Dr.Pimple Popper Youtube/TLC clout could pull this one off. I chose this to review for the San Francisco Book Review because I heard good things about it. It was fine, but it didn’t seem to know what kind of audience it was targeting: Dermatology students, or the average person who enjoys literally washing money down the drain via skincare?

7.) “Waisted” by Randy Susan Meyers: I wrote more about this book earlier this month. This also was fine.

6.) “The Beast’s Heart,” by Leife Shallcross: Like I said, I’m a sucker for fairy tale retellings. This one was a “Beauty and the Beast” retelling from the Beast’s point of view. While things got a little creepy, it was a unique story because it showed what Beauty/Isabeau’s family was doing without her. As it turns out, they were actually better off!

5.) “Lovestruck” by Kate Watson: This was a really cute book that draws on ancient Greek mythology. It’s about an immortal teen girl named Kalixta who wants to be a muse, but she’s stuck training as a cupid. I can imagine school librarians recommending something like this to kids who are bored studying the Greek pantheon in English class because I found it fun and relatable.

4.) “Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles” by Mark Russell: I am very happy that one of my Facebook friends is trying to read a comic a week and write about it. (Hi Robert!) I'm keeping an eye on this venture for a lot of reasons: I trust his judgment/taste, I don’t read enough comics, I want to understand more about comic books/graphic novels, and comics are a fun way to boost the amount of books I read because they’re quick and I want to read at least 100 books this year. A volume usually takes me about an hour. While “Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles” was set during the red scare in the 1950s, there were several thinly veiled references to the present day, which I always like. It was very sad, but I am very glad I read it. 

3.) “Thor: God Of Thunder Vol. 1: The God Butcher,” “Thor: God Of Thunder Vol. 2: Godbomb” by Jason Aaron: These were both delightful, but I was apprehensive at first because “The God Butcher” gave me “The Infinity Gauntlet” vibes, and I did not like “The Infinity Gauntlet” at all. In “Godbomb,” (how can you NOT read a comic book called “Godbomb?”) an evil, all-powerful alien guy named Gorr is butchering all of the gods in the universe. He chops them up and throws them into space where three Thors from three different time periods come across his carnage and their ship is attacked by starsharks. It’s wild and very dramatic, but the conclusion of the two books was kind of what I anticipated. Oddly, the comics I read this month were the only books I read that were written by men. Everything else was written by women. I’m hoping to keep it that way.

2.) “Coffeehouse Knits” by Kerry Bogert: My one and only knitting book. The patterns and essays were cute, but I prefer knitting patterns that are more difficult. I wrote about this book, and some of my favorite knitting books, here.

1.) “The Stone Sky” by NK Jemisin: I started listening to Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy on Audible last November. Where do I begin?

First of all, Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy won the Hugo award for best novel three years in a row, and she’s the only author to have done that. (“The Fifth Season” in 2016, “The Obelisk Gate” in 2017 and “The Stone Sky” in 2018.) I grew SO ATTACHED to the characters in her books that I’m still trying to get over them and I don’t think I can go on without them.

The world is just so beautiful and deep. The narrative spans millennia and addresses themes of racism, prejudice, suffering, oppression, environmentalism and survival. Part of it is written in second person, which was unique and immersive. I felt like I was part of the story. I’ve never read/listened to anything like it, and I don’t think I ever will again. The author herself seems like a certified badass.

There are a few, rare books I would call “vital reading.” The last book I felt this way about was Angie Thomas’s “The Hate U Give.” But you need to put down whatever you’re reading now and read this trilogy. It has some important things to say.

Coffeehouse Knits: In which I drink all of the coffee and screech about knitting

“As people leave, they take a little of the warm glow of the evening home with them, a reminder that even when the world outside is unyielding, dark, and unknown, there is always the bright spot that is knit night.”

"Coffeehouse Knits" is a collection of cozy patterns and essays that are approachable enough for beginner knitters, but still offer some more challenging projects for the intermediate-to-advanced knitter.

If you’re a beginner knitter who is ready to start reading and following your first real pattern, and you want designs that are wearable, choose this book. For me, as a reader, a knitter and a coffee drinker, it intersects many facets of my personality. The book’s hygge vibes made me almost (ALMOST!) miss places that experience cold weather. 

When I was younger, I spent my rare free time at Starbucks or Panera, drinking endless cups of coffee and knitting, and some of the essays in "Coffeehouse Knits" made me nostalgic for that time. Now, as a way to fit some self-enrichment into my day and commit to a daily ritual, I wake up early, brew a pot of coffee, and drink most of it while puzzling over a rigorous knitting project and listening to an audiobook. (I'm listening to "The Stone Sky" by N.K. Jemisin right now, in case you're wondering.)

As an advanced knitter, a lot of the patterns in "Coffeehouse Knits" were much too basic for my taste. That’s not to say they weren’t very beautiful, because they were! And I got the impression that while beginner knitters might face a challenge with a few of them, intermediate and advanced knitters could carry on a conversation while making any of the patterns. I’m guessing that was kind of the point. The three patterns I was attracted to were: the chocolate challah pullover, an interesting v-neck pullover with braided cables on the shoulders; the house blend cardigan, a dramatic, long, cozy cardigan with big buttons and deep pockets; and the marshmallow tee, a unique twist-front tee knit with thick-and-thin yarn for a rustic effect. The other, smaller projects, such as scarves, hats, cowls and mittens, I might choose if I needed a quick gift because they seemed to incorporate effortless colorwork and texture techniques.

The recommended yarns for "Coffeehouse Knits" patterns could be found in a well-stocked local yarn shop, as well as online stores, and lean toward mid-priced (Universal Yarns, Brooklyn Tweed, Quince and Co.) to luxe (Hedgehog Fibers, Lorna’s Laces, SweetGeorgia.) To make these patterns more economical or inclusive to those who don’t have a local yarn shop, I would recommend future books include some yarn options, such as Patons or Lion Brand, that can be found in big-box stores.

Advanced knitting books I love

"2-at-a-time Socks" by Melissa Morgan-Oakes: I always reach for this book for a quick kitchener tutorial. One of these days I'll start knitting my socks two at a time.

"Continuous Cables" by Melissa Leapman: If you've already mastered basic cables and cabling without a cable needle, axis cables and closed-ring cables are a good next step!

"Knitted Lace of Estonia" by Nancy Bush and "New Vintage Lace" by Andrea Jurgrau: Estonian bobbles, or nupps, make Estonian knitting fascinating to me because they can't be replicated on a knitting machine. They have to be created by hand. Whenever I reach the limit of a skill, in this case lace knitting, I want to see how far beyond the basics I can stretch that skill. Once you've mastered lace knitting, Estonian lace is the next step. In "New Vintage Lace," the Ghost Orchid shawl has an unusual hexagonal shape and lace motifs reminiscent of legendary lace knitter Herbert Niebling.

"Sock Innovation" by Cookie A., "Socktopus" by Alice Yu, and the sock patterns of Claire Ellen and Caoua Coffee: If you've mastered basic sock construction, the next step is to add a challenging design. Cookie A., Alice Yu, Claire Ellen and Caoua Coffee have some of the most stunning sock designs I've ever seen, and it just motivates me to stretch my knitting skills every time I see them. I might even let out an audible gasp when I see a completed pair. Some of Claire Ellen's patterns are inspired by Lord of the Rings, and Caoua Coffee is inspired by operas, which just increases their level of cool (or geekery, whichever you prefer... I say cool.)

"Tudor Roses" by Alice Starmore (yes, the reprint): I enjoyed this book and it inspires me to be a better knitter. Alice Starmore is known for her intricate colorwork motifs inspired by nature.

New-ish advanced knitting books on my radar (a.k.a. please buy these for me)

"Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible" by Hitomi Shida

"Glamourie" by Alice Starmore

"100 Knits: Interweave's Ultimate Pattern Collection" by Interweave Knits

I received "Coffeehouse Knits" from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I do Konmari-style book purges, and I don't miss the books I toss.

There are two lime green reusable grocery bags (that spark joy) sitting in the corner of the reading-and-knitting nook (which sparks joy) I created for myself last summer. One bag holds hardback books, the other has paperbacks. They're the books I'm not keeping. They do not spark joy.

Before the grocery bags, I had a moving box under my desk. It did not spark joy. It was annoying to sort through the books to donate every year, the box split, and books went everywhere. See? No joy.

I wrote a review about Marie Kondo's "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" back in 2015. Now, with her Netflix series enchanting the Twitterverse, it seems a good time to revisit my experience with it. Particularly the seemingly controversial advice about getting rid of books.

I have not re-read "Tidying Up," because my dad borrowed it when he visited me at Christmas, so it does not live in my house anymore. But watching the Netflix series reminded me that the book is meant to fundamentally change the way you view your possessions.

Bibliophiles have been frothing at the mouth about chucking their books after a meme circulated showing Marie Kondo saying something like, "Ideally, keep less than 30 books."

This isn't accurate. What the book DOES say is that Kondo herself does not own more than 30 volumes, but if books spark joy for anyone, and they have more than 30 books, it's fine. You can still use her method to guide the relationship you have with your possessions.

From Indiewire: Marie Kondo to Bibliophiles: No, You Don’t Need to Throw Away Your Books

"If the image of someone getting rid of books or having only a few books makes you angry, that should tell you how passionate you are about books, what’s clearly so important in your life. If that riles you up, that tells you something you about that. That in itself is a very important benefit of this process.” Kondo told Indiewire.

I've read almost a dozen books so far this year, and I'm not keeping any of them. It seems crazy, but here are a few reasons why:

1. Books are not sacred, romantic objects to me

It's possible that I think less of physical books because I get a lot of books for free. Many of them are advance review copies, so they're virtually useless after they've been read. Libraries and used book stores can't take them to re-sell.

For the books I do buy with my own money, are they really better off in my house? Normally not. The potential to re-read books is not high with me.

I don't believe books are imbued with the soul of the author or carry sacred stories that I should treasure forever by making room for them in my home. Once I absorb the information in a book, I have that information in my mind. It'll either be a memorable story, or I'll look back on the list of books I've read in a year and wonder what it was about.

2. The books I've read can be more useful somewhere else.

This seems logical to me, but why would you keep books on dusty shelves in your home when they could be out in the world educating and entertaining someone else? Why keep a book that you're not going to re-read when you could take it to a library or used book store to help the owners earn money for that place and keep it in business?

I was delighted to see some of my discarded books with $1 stickers on them the other day when I went to the library. If someone wants to purchase them, the library will benefit, if only by a few dollars. On my latest trip to the used book store, I exchanged books I've already read for some books that I haven't read, and it was completely worth it.

I think perhaps the people who hold on to books suffer from the sunk-cost fallacy when trying to part with books they'll never read. If you've spent money on a book, it seems a waste to get rid of it on the slim possibility you might want to read it, right? No. You can always buy the book again second-hand or check it out of the library if you truly miss it. I have never once wished I hadn't gotten rid of a book that I purged from my collection, and I've never had to repurchase a book because I missed it.

3. Books take up space

Since I've lived in small-ish apartments for my entire adulthood, there's not a lot of space for a lot of books. I have one bookshelf that houses some cookbooks, and the top of a cube storage unit for my "to-read" pile. Dan has another very small bookshelf. Beyond those boundaries, books are nothing more than clutter.

Caveats

The one thing that was kind of disappointing about my experience with the Konmari method was, while it changed my attitude toward possessions in general, it was easy to slip back into old habits of holding on to things that aren't books. "Tidying up" claims that once you go through the process of letting go to possessions that no longer spark joy, you will never need to go through that process again because it will change the way you view the things you choose to keep in your life. I have not found that to be true. Your tastes will still change, your style might change, and the things that you once enjoyed might not bring you joy anymore!

I still have to go through my possessions about once every other year or so in order to shed things that no longer bring me joy. I've found it particularly true with clothes.

For books, I take those lime green grocery bags once or twice a year to the used book store and the library, and the ARCs get recycled if visiting family or friends go through them and don't want any. It's the system I've found that works for my life.

If you find immense value in holding on to tons of books, you do you. And please, for the love of God, take some of my books. But if you're going to tackle "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up," do it with an open mind, and be prepared to view your book collection in a different way.

Review: "Waisted" by Randy Susan Meyers

TW: Eating disorders

“You can be fat and be the best person in the world. You can be skinny and be the meanest rat around. You can be skinny and sweet as sugar. You can be fat and be rotten to the core. You don’t always get to choose skinny or fat – and most of us are somewhere in the middle. But you can always choose what kind of person you’ll be. Concentrate on that.”

“Waisted” by Randy Susan Meyers primarily follows Daphne and Alice, two overweight women desperate to lose weight. They go to a home called Privation, and sign away their rights, in order to participate in a “Biggest Loser”-style boot camp with a group of other overweight women. They eat flavorless food, work out for hours, and are subjected to humiliating weigh-ins, all of which are recorded. When their trainers start feeding them pills, the women grow suspicious of the filmmakers’ motives and a nighttime investigation leads to a revelation more compelling than anything the boot camp claimed to offer when they arrived.

“Waisted” explores Daphne and Alice’s relationships with their parents, spouses, children and each other. It also touches upon themes of racial identity and women’s roles through the lens of a woman’s weight, though it doesn’t explore them as fully as I would have liked. The book is extremely relatable in the intimate way it depicts the thoughts in Daphne and Alice’s heads, specifically when they think about food. You’ll never think about butter or M&Ms the same way again, but I will warn you that some of the thoughts about food and depictions of purging could be triggering to those who have suffered from eating disorders.

One aspect of the book that was particularly interesting was the way the author depicted men. Daphne’s husband seemed to love her no matter her size. Alice’s husband was obsessed with aesthetics and couldn’t seem to understand why Alice didn’t just see things his way. While both men seemed to love their wives, they were both obtuse in different ways.

The novel’s feminist themes aren’t new stomping ground. Society increasingly pressures women to shrink themselves so as to take up the least amount of room possible and make the least amount of noise. The book isn’t preachy all the time, but it definitely goes there. Part of me feels like this book is a little late to the party of “love yourself” rah-rah sisterhood. But it contained too much nuance not to be notable. I’m itching to tell you some of the details that make this book memorable, but I don’t want to spoil anything.

Personally, I’ve gained weight, lost it and gained it again. I’ve learned how to lift weights and trained for a marathon. I exercise regularly and eat clean, but I’m still considered obese by medical standards. As I get older, I’m stymied and frustrated by my body, but over the years I’ve come to learn that it’s not worth my time to think about it too often (I have too many other things to do,) and most of my negative thoughts stem from a patriarchal culture that dictates women must look a certain way for the express purpose of keeping a man around. I’m not entering a bikini competition anytime soon, and I’ve long stopped caring what men think. Nowadays, weight loss is framed as “wellness” and “self-care,” but is anyone really fooled by that?

“Waisted” is a character study that covers a lot of ground in fewer than 300 pages. There are a few holes in the plot that could have been filled in to make it longer, but the book says what it needs to say tidily enough.

“Waisted” will be released in June 2019. I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.